PakarBedahAnda or Your-General-Surgeon is my blog in which I highlight common surgical problems faced by Malaysians. In the last 20 years of my practice, many of my patients presented with advanced diseases in which treatments were more complicated, and if they were cancers then the prognosis were poor. This is also my personal 'fight' against late presentation of surgical diseases particularly cancers.

Sunday, January 9, 2011

Penangan TOK BOMOH

A 64 year old lady presented to the hospital with severe abdominal pain and high fever after balik berurut with a bomoh. She has been visiting this bomoh for a left sided abdominal mass since 6 months ago. According to her children, the mass was initially small in size but lately has grown much bigger. She had been adviced to seek treatment in hospital which she boldly refused.

When I saw her, she was in severe pain with signs of septicemia. There was a huge abscess (bisul yang nak pecah) in the abdomen with an underlying tumour.

Basically she has a neglected / untreated colonic cancer, now it has perforated through the abdominal wall (kena uli tok bomoh sampai pecah) . Soon, it would be coming out through the skin (itu pun if she survives the septicemia).

What needs to be done is to drain the abscess and feces through the skin and treat the infection. Once her condition improves, go and remove the cancer. But that was not in her mind. She wanted to go back to the bomoh. What could I do?. Furthermore she had the full support of her children. So be it.

This is it ........ CANCER and Kelantanese don't click !

I hope this is not the end of my struggle. I believe there are many more non-Kelantanese that would benefit from my writings.

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About Me

I am a general surgeon practising in a private hospital in Kota Bharu. Previously I was a senior lecturer in the Department of Surgery, Universiti Sains Malaysia, Kubang Kerian Kelantan. My interest is in colorectal diseases especially colorectal cancers.

Ask Me

You can communicate with me by putting up a comment into this blog or directly emailing me at zahari@perdana.kpjhealth.com.my. I will respond to your enquiry as a posting in this blog or directly to you. However my answers will be general in nature. Proper medical advices (consultations) need proper diagnosis - clinical examination, laboratory, radiological investigations etc. You are adviced to consult your surgeon.

As parts of my 'fight against late presentation of cancer among Malaysians' I am willing to give talks on cancer or any relevent topics to the public in gatherings such as school functions, seminars and workshops especially in and around Kota Bharu. Just contact me at the above email address